Roosters and balls are concern in Loyalsock Township

May 29, 2013

Loyalsock Township supervisors might have to take action about roosters crowing in residential neighborhoods.

"Something that's getting more popular in the township is the ownership of chickens," zoning officer Garth Womer told the board at its Tuesday night meeting. "We don't have anything on the books governing chickens in residential zones."

Areas zoned as residential, or "R1," cover most properties south of Four Mile Drive in the township - most properties north of that road are zoned as agricultural.

"Someone who just bought a house in an R1 zone called me and asked if they could have chickens," Womer said. "I told them they could because we have nothing on the books."

The township has ordinances governing dogs for barking and howling, but nothing regulating poultry.

"Roosters, they crow in the morning and they're waking people up, and chickens, they don't stay where you put them, they poop all over the place," Township Manager Bill Burdett said. "Out in the green land, the farmland, whatever goes."

People who own chickens often claim them as pets, Burdett said.

Supervisors also heard the complaint of a resident who has had neighbor children kicking and throwing and hitting balls into his backyard.

"We just put an in-ground pool in, and we want to relax in our nice oasis out back," said the citizen, who asked not to be named. "We had five balls come into our yard last Saturday, and they're always calling through the fence, 'Hey, Mister, throw my ball back.' I feel like the ornery old fart, but I don't want to be their ballboy."

The man said he called the state police, who told him there was no ordinance in place that could resolve the situation.

"If your kid's that great of a ballplayer, maybe they should be going down to the park," the resident said. "When I talk to the father, all I get is 'boys will be boys.'

"Maybe you can put a can in the corner of the yard, and every time you throw a ball back, it's a dollar," Supervisor John Bower said.